Lora O'Brien – Irish Author & Guide
Your Authentic Connection to Ireland
The Mórrígan (also Morrigan, Morrígu, Mór-Ríoghain) is a striking figure from Irish mythology: known variously as an Irish Goddess, native Pagan deity in Ireland, or supernatural figure if we’re looking academically at Medieval Irish literature. The Mórrígan is most commonly associated with war and destruction; but she is actually a guardian Goddess of prophecy, magic,…
Make sure you check out the full Beginner’s Guide to Irish Paganism Series. Moving on from the Recommended Irish History Books, we can now focus specifically on Irish Gods and Goddesses. As we said last time, these books can stretch a little to cover a broader ‘Celtic’ pantheon, but our focus here is quality information on…
In our annual Meeting the Mórrígan programme, I got a question on the Daughters of Ernmas – basically, which ‘set’ of sisters was older? The basic info that’s going around runs like this: Ernmas is an Irish mother goddess, mentioned in Lebor Gabála Érenn and “Cath Maige Tuired” as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann….
‘The Battle of Moytura at Cong’, also known as The First Battle of Magh Turedh, Maige Tuired, etc. This text can be difficult to find online, so I thought I’d add a copy here, and maybe do a reading of it at some point over on my YouTube Channel, for accessibility purposes. The source manuscript…
Ever wonder what is the Táin Bó Cúailgne? Or how to pronounce Táin Bó Cúailnge?! Here’s your guide, covering: a summary of the main storyline; the manuscript sources and recensions or versions it was recorded in; and even an audio reading so you can follow along! I’ve written a review of the Táin before, here,…
Learn about Ancient Ireland’s Laws and Customs through study of the Brehon Law system. A student in our Mórrígan Intensive Programme asked me for resources on the Brehon Law system the other day, and I had to be honest – I didn’t have them to hand. It’s not an area I’ve really dug into yet,…
Bruiden Da Choca, ‘Da Coca’s Hostel’, is known also as Togail Bruidne Da Choca(e) (‘The destruction of Da Coca’s Hostel’), and is one of the many Badb or Mórrígna stories often quoted or referred to, but rarely read or studied. Let’s change that? It is available online, though only in a translation by Whitley Stokes,…